Module 8 Fantasy and Science Fiction

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Summary

Vivian Gandillon is a werewolf and the daughter of the recently deceased pack alpha.  After losing her father Vivian and the rest of the pack are uprooted and forced to live in a new community.  She refuses to hangout with her out of control pack mates and seeks friendship at school.  She quickly falls for a human and the pack warns her against it.  It is not until she reveals herself to him that she learns their worlds are too different to continue the relationship.  However, a dangerous trap has already been set for her and she must take control of the situation save her life. 

Bibliographic Citation

Klause A. C. (1997). Blood and Chocolate. New York: Ember.

My Impressions of the Book

Vivian may begin the novel as an uncertain teenage girl with more concerns than confidence, but she battles past the loss of her father in this coming of age tale.  It has a sense of mystery about it and switches gears in latter part of the book.  Vivian is forced to care for herself and her strength shines through in the end.  Klause balances the character well by mixing in honesty and compassion as two of her traits.  It is a fun read and a little girl power never hurt anybody.

Reviews 

-Klause keeps this story powerful and sexy, reveling in the ferality of her characters and the overtones of legend; some characters are a bit predictable or indistinct, but a few—especially Vivian's human boyfriend, who thinks he wants mysticism and falls apart when he gets it—are intriguing and vivid. At heart here is a classic romance about a girl torn between the sensitive aesthete and the dark dominant enigma; fans of that genre will know where they're headed, but they'll still relish the hunt. - Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Stevenson, D. (1997). Blood and Chocolate (Book Review) [Review of the book Blood and Chocolate, by A. C. Klause]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 50, 400.

Ideas for Library Use

Advertise a school book talk and invite students to come see why science fiction is so popular.  Use Blood and Chocolate as one of the selections in hopes to win over more girls in the genre.